The iPhone 5 pre-order kickoff yesterday morning was fairly reminiscent of last year’s launch. Apple’s website, despite having months to prepare, quickly buckled under the influx of traffic, and more than half an hour passed before some folks could logon.

The real story though is how fast the initial pre-order stock of iPhone 5s ran out. Shipping times slipped from one to two weeks in less than an hour. Some people even saw their ship dates drop a week during the time it took them to place their order…

But we’ve got some good news tonight for those of you whose iPhone 5 orders showed a two week delivery date at checkout. There’s a chance they may ship sooner.

AppleInsider is reporting that some readers are seeing emails from Apple regarding their iPhone 5 pre-orders. Apparently some of the initial shipping dates weren’t accurate.

Here’s the email from Apple:

“We have some good news concerning your recent iPhone 5 purchase. We expect it to be delivered to you on the first day of iPhone 5 availability — Friday, September 21.

The delivery date we previously sent you was not accurate.

Once your order ships, we’ll send a Shipping Notification email with tracking information. You can always visit apple.com/orderstatus for the most up-to-date status of your order.

We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

The Apple Store”

At the time of this writing, all iPhone 5 models on Apple’s US website show an estimated shipping time of 2-3 weeks. And the same is true for AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint (online). If you want it earlier than that, you’ll have to visit a participating retail store next Friday.

Apple told AllThingsD yesterday afternoon that it was “completely blown away” by customer response to its latest handset.

Have you received an email from Apple similar to the one above? Now might be a good time to check.